Ben Kuzma: Canucks had options, but were always sold on Russian Vasili Podkolzin

With size and strength the Moscow native — referred to as a raging bull in the past — projects as a future NHL power forward

Move up. Move down. Stand pat. Make a trade. Trade the pick.

Name an NHL draft-week scenario and the Vancouver Canucks were linked to speculation on some level. Part of the rationale was the sense that general manager Jim Benning needed to make a splash. Part of it was the due diligence of kicking the tires on what it would take to make a trade, or move up from the 10th overall selection. Or, maybe do both.

However, what always made sense — and what Benning always knew — is that keeping his pick and continuing to add to franchise depth was of paramount importance. As for a hockey trade, that could happen Saturday because there was a lot of chatter Friday, but nothing got finalized.

What many didn’t know is that Russian right-winger Vasili Podkolzin, a projected NHL power forward, had climbed into the Canucks’ top-10 considerations — as high as eighth or ninth — and that a Thursday meeting cemented the club’s interest in the 6-1, 196-pound Moscow native.

Benning sees a Timo Meier type who can work the walls and play with speed and strength, but needs to work on his shot. Podkolzin may have ranked higher in this draft, but is under contract for two more seasons with SKA St. Petersburg and that had a lot to do with the winger being rated all over the first-round map.

“He’s got the size and strength and can get to the net,” said Benning. “He’s going to be a good complementary player for some of our really skilled players. He plays a heavy game and we’ve seen in the playoffs that you need those strong guys who can get to the net and protect the puck.

“Once we get him over here, he can step in and play right away. We think he can score in the NHL.”

In 2018, Podkolzin was captain of Team Russia in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup where the club claimed a bronze medal. In that outing, he scored a hat trick against the U.S. to raise his draft stock for 2019. He led that tournament in scoring with 11 points (8-3) in five games. He also had three assists in seven games of the 2019 World Junior tournament as the Russians pocketed bronze.

“I can do whatever I can be asked to do — power forward or playmaking and I can score goals as well,” Podkolzin said through an interpreter in Canucks’ Russian scout Sergei Chibisov. “Playing against men wasn’t hard from a physical point of view, it was hard psychologically and I hope in two years that I play in Russia I will get stronger.

“I hope it is the beginning of the new stage of my career.”

Which would be something.

The Canucks haven’t had much recent success with Russian players who were either discontented or haven’t performed to expectations. The lure of returning home saw Nikita Tryamkin play that card.

“We’ve looked into all that and he wants to come over after two years,” said Benning. “I guess there’s a little risk involved and we’re confident from what his agent said.”

The 10th selection was about a scouting consensus. The Canucks could have chosen between those who were still on the board — WHL centre Peyton Krebs, Swedish defencemen Victor Soderstrom and U.S. National Team Development Program winger Matthew Boldy — but they didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger on Podkolzin.

His statistics didn’t stand out in league play. He was pointless in three KHL games and in the junior ranks — five points (2-3) in 14 VHL games and eight points (6-2) in a dozen MHL games — but his potential trumped playing other draft cards Friday.

“We go by our list and we had him rated above these other guys,” added Benning. “He was the name where if he wasn’t there at No. 10, we were looking to maybe trade down and get another pick. There were some guys we like, but when he was there, we were going to make the pick.”

Added Chibisov: “He’s a good overall player who works hard and protects the pucks and is strong on the puck and in the corners. And he can shoot and make a play. He killed penalties and was blocking shots, too. He was a good team leader and is physically strong — almost like a man.”

Benning was thought to be making another play Friday. He was linked to acquiring Colorado right-shot defenceman Tyson Barrie, especially after the Avalanche selected Vancouver Giants standout blueliner Bowen Byram with the fourth pick.

With young talents like Samuel Girard and Cale Makar, the 59-point Victoria native is deemed expendable. Jake Virtanen and a 2020 pick were supposed to be going the other way in the deal that gained momentum throughout the day and fizzled out at night.

“Yeah, we tried,” admitted Benning. “We were looking at a lot of different things and I’m hoping to get something done. We’re still looking at some things. It may happen tomorrow (Saturday) with a bunch of deals. I think there’s going to be quite a bit of movement — it just didn’t happen today.”

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